The Gloomy Big Sis Who Treats Me to Meals
In the staff room, the teachers gathered for the meeting exchanged wary glances, maintaining a heavy silence. Though they shared the common goal of training summoners at Canopus Academy, that didn't mean they were on the same side. In fact, they were locked in fierce behind-the-scenes political battles, each vying to recruit as many graduates as possible to their own territories.
"Oh, everyone's here already."
"...Principal Catherine."
And among them appeared Catherine, one of the few true neutrals who devoted herself purely to the students' welfare. Her young age hadn't stopped her from claiming the principal's position—not just because she was a 4-star summoner, but largely because she stayed above the petty power struggles.
"Looks like I kept you waiting... Sorry about that."
"It's fine. We still have time before the scheduled start."
Flaina, the 3-star summoner and homeroom teacher for the fire class that included Stella Iritz, replied with a blank expression. On the surface, it sounded supportive, but Catherine couldn't bring herself to interpret it that way. The tone carried a clear undertone of reproach: 'We're all here on time, so why are you showing up late?'
"Ahem, anyway. Let's get started."
Catherine pushed it aside and proceeded with the meeting. It was about the upcoming midterms.
"In previous years, it was just standard written exams and a few tests to divvy up the scores... But this year, let's do something different."
"Different how, exactly?"
"How about a battle royale where everyone fights at once?"
"...Principal, there's no venue big enough for that many students, and controlling hundreds of summons in one place would be impossible."
They could gather the students, sure—but the hundreds of summons they'd call forth posed a real danger. Even if Catherine and all the teachers were 3-star or higher summoners, there were students with their own 3- and 4-star summons. What if some got malicious ideas? Or even without that, if tempers flared and things spiraled into a massive incident? Controlling them all with the staff on hand was next to impossible.
"So what would you suggest? One-on-one matches would be too predictable."
"How about a 3v3 captain's duel?"
"Captain's duel... Not a bad idea."
Luck was part of skill, after all. Catherine wasn't fond of the saying, but hadn't her own rise to this seat relied heavily on fortune? If she hadn't summoned her 4-star, she never would've become principal.
"Then that's settled... We should mix in a written exam too, right?"
"Yes. Nothing's more important than knowing your own summon inside out. For the test questions..."
"Principal. I have something to say about that."
"What is it, Teacher Oliver?"
Oliver stood, shoving his shiny bald head forward as he distributed materials he'd prepared to the other teachers. Catherine skimmed hers, her face lighting up with interest.
"Ho, is this some new paper you're publishing?"
"...It's a theory proposed by my student, Ian Clark."
"—Your student?"
Ian Clark. The name rang a bell for Catherine. She'd heard it somewhere... It stuck in her memory, though the details escaped her.
"Regarding this exam—"
And with Oliver's next words, that memory sank back into the depths.
Students or teachers... what a mess.
This semester was shaping up to be a storm.
To my beloved son, Ian.
I received your letter. Such a thing doesn't exist.
Your proud father, Wilhelm.
"...Trying to rile me up?"
A few days after sending a letter home, I tore open the reply and let out a hollow chuckle. Wasn't he supposed to snag a soul stone for his loving son? No big deal for him.
Meanwhile, some of us are scraping by without a dime.
Surprisingly, since possessing this body, I'd lived without a single coin. Sure, the academy's free services for students made it possible... but money still mattered sometimes.
For instance.
'I'm hungry.'
The academy provided three free meals a day—top-quality food, generous portions, unlimited refills. But you couldn't take it to go. And a teenage boy's body stayed hungry even after five meals, especially during a growth spurt.
"Hunggryyy..."
Clutching my growling stomach, I figured doing something might distract me from it.
Exercise? Yeah, right—like I'd work out on an empty stomach. That'd just make it worse.
So, that left...
'Library time?'
Dinua should be there. And as a countess's daughter, money troubles weren't her problem.
Decision made, I threw on my uniform and left the dorm. I'd ditched my old body somewhere—who knew?—and had no spare clothes anyway. If freshmen weren't required to wear uniforms on campus and rarely left, rumors would've spread fast.
The library was packed despite the weekend, students cramming away. I wanted to yell that it was all pointless, outdated crap.
'There she is.'
Scanning the back corner, I spotted Dinua buried in books, lost in her world. Her area was mercifully empty—rare with dozens of pre-exam cram sessions claiming seats.
I plopped down beside her and peeked at her book. Romance novel, huh.
She froze, sensing my gaze, then tentatively met my eyes.
"...Huh."
"Hey, senpai."
"Uh, h-hi... I-Ian. Hello...?"
"That any good?"
"Uh, y-yeah? It's... fun. But for a guy, it might be a bit... you know."
"Mind if I read it then?"
"G-Go ahead..."
With her okay, I grabbed a random book from her towering stack—volume 1 of her novel. Predictable plot: heroine gets bullied for no reason, hot competent hero saves her, they fall in love, she plays hard-to-get despite her league. Cliché as hell.
But clichés worked because they were comfy and tasty.
As I savored the sweet prose, Dinua, who'd stopped reading, spoke up.
"Um, Ian? What brings you to the library...?"
"Oh, senpai. Hold on—just finishing this."
"Ah, okay..."
I left her fidgeting, speed-read the last 30 pages, and met her eyes. She'd been staring blankly for five minutes; she jolted when I looked up.
"Senpai?"
"Y-Yeah?"
"Didn't you have something to say?"
"Oh, right. Yeah."
Ahem. She cleared her throat and repeated herself.
"What brings you to the library...?"
"Why do people come to libraries?"
"To read books?"
"Nah, I came to see you."
"M-Me...?"
Her over-the-top shock at that made me lean in.
"Yeah. We're friends, right?"
"Y-Yeah... friends."
"One friend favor?"
"What...?"
She gulped, hands trembling slightly—guessing already.
"Buy me a meal, senpai."
"...A meal?"
"Yep."
Not a tough ask, but she shook like she hadn't seen it coming. No money? Nah, unlikely.
Thankfully, my worry was unfounded; she started packing her books.
"L-Let's go."
I followed Dinua, who'd tidied up quick, to a restaurant inside the academy grounds. The student cafeteria was closed, but plenty of other student shops dotted the area.
The place we entered was... odd.
"...Here?"
"You hate slime mukchae?"
"Nah, whatever you order is fine by me."
Slime what? Hoping I'd misheard.
But peeking at other patrons' plates confirmed it.
Not that I, a Korean, should judge...
Slimes—more famous in hentai than fantasy. Eating monsters? We'd eat weeds, pine bark, seaweed, bugs, sea slugs back home. Nothing was off-limits.
Still, slime mukchae felt iffy. But everyone else chowed down like it was gourmet...
I stared around in disbelief.
"This popular?"
"Yeah... super popular."
"Why?"
"Zero calories... won't gain weight."
"Ah."
Diet food? Fair enough. I sat as she ordered confidently from the approaching server.
Silence stretched after they left. Rude to mooch without chatting, so I broke it.
"Senpai, midterms soon. Ready?"
"...Yeah. You?"
"Me? Nailed it."
"What kinda answer is that... hilarious."
She burst out laughing. A beauty cracking up at my jokes? Priceless.
Soon, our slime mukchae arrived. Pushing past the creepy look, one bite surprised me.
...Not bad.
Heavy seasoning masked the zero-cal nature; kinda like eating mugwort.
Mid-slurp, someone sat next to us. Bad timing—I accidentally locked eyes with them.
They met mine too.
...Stella?
"Ah, Ian!"
Noah, about to sit across from Stella, spotted me and waved happily.
Stella just glared coldly, wordless.
A light silence settled over me, her, and Dinua.